What the hell is OKC gonna do with all those picks?

[Kblaze8855]

They already have likely stars/starters/possible stars at 4 positions all of them young as hell. So what do you do with:




**2024**
- 1st Round, Rockets: Protected Top-4
- 1st Round, Jazz: Protected Top-10
- 1st Round, Thunder: Least favorable of Thunder's first-round picks goes to Pacers
- 1st Round, Clippers
- 2nd Round, Rockets


**2025**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 1st Round, Rockets/Clippers: Swaps
- 1st Round, Heat: Protected Top-14
- 1st Round, Sixers: Protected Top-6
- 2nd Round, Hawks: Protected Top-40
- 2nd Round, Celtics/Grizzlies: More favorable
- 2nd Round, Sixers


**2026**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 1st Round, Rockets: Protected Top-4
- 1st Round, Clippers
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Mavericks/Sixers: Least favorable
- 2nd Round, Warriors


**2027**
- 1st Round, Nuggets: Protected Top-5
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Minnesota


**2028**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Jazz
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Milwaukee


**2029**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 1st Round, Nuggets: Protected Top-5
- 2nd Round, Hawks
- 2nd Round, Suns
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Rockets
- 2nd Round, Heat
- 2nd Round, Celtics


**2030**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Heat
- 2nd Round, Rockets

[Kblaze8855]

They have the ammo to trade for like 2 disgruntled superstars if they came available but none of the likely suspects is young enough for their timetable. Maybe Zion if he looks healthy? KAT if they think they can “fix” him and Minny wants its picks back after getting fleeced by Utah?

Whats the move?

[8Ball]

Same thing Boston did when trader Danny accumulated a "treasure trove" of picks. Most of the picks turned to crap.

[red1]

damn okc really winning after the kd era :pimp:



I hope they build a stacked team for my boy sga.


Im already prepared to start scapegoating holmgren if he doesnt pull his weight.

[Kblaze8855]

Same thing Boston did when trader Danny accumulated a "treasure trove" of picks. Most of the picks turned to crap.


They got the picks that were Tatum and Brown in trades. How many are you supposed to get stars out of?

You accumulate enough to hit on a few just throwing darts at a draft board.

You have 12-13 first rounders and an already young team it’s hard not to find more good pieces I’d imagine.

[tontoz]

:roll:

I knew they had a lot of picks but that is crazy. I can't recall anything similar.

[Kblaze8855]

:roll:

I knew they had a lot of picks but that is crazy. I can't recall anything similar.


It’s like two and a half superstar trade packages isn’t it?

not that they’re likely fans of that, considering how they rape the clippers trading Paul George in one of those deals. But even if you hit on all of them, you don’t even have enough roster spots for all those first rounders. Do you just draft like six incredibly high potential projects that would normally be a reach and maybe trade six more picks for a disgruntled Zion?

you would still have a whole star package of picks after that.

[NBAGOAT]

Trade up in the draft every year to have more chances at drafting a superstar. They have possible stars at 4 positions but sga is the only proven star. If they draft someone better the current star can be traded for more picks

[Xiao Yao You]

Jazz have even more 1sts

[hateraid]

Trust the process

[8Ball]

They got the picks that were Tatum and Brown in trades. How many are you supposed to get stars out of?

You accumulate enough to hit on a few just throwing darts at a draft board.

You have 12-13 first rounders and an already young team it’s hard not to find more good pieces I’d imagine.

We are talking 2 very valuable unprotected picks from a the Nets that tanked after trading everything for old players. The rest of the picks were trash.

OKC does not have valuable unprotected picks. 24 and 26 Clippers picks aren't worth much.

[999Guy]

We are talking 2 very valuable unprotected picks from a the Nets that tanked after trading everything for old players. The rest of the picks were trash.

OKC does not have valuable unprotected picks. 24 and 26 Clippers picks aren't worth much.

Then this answers it. They'll trade the bulk of them for some deep lottery picks. While off-loading their least favorite young guys. Like they did Bazley. Poku showed flashes but he will be gone too if he doesn't take a big step this year.

One thing about OKC with this is they can afford to not cling to hope and imaginary player development and end with MPJ or Ayton kind of fake-ass budding superstar contracts when in reality they're role players.

This is a franchise that told Harden take it or leave for an underpay and traded him for even thinking about not taking the contract.

Giddey, Dieng, and even Holmgren will be under real scrutiny with this level of competition within the roster, if they're lucky and trade/draft well.

I expect them to flip this roster around a ton the next 3 years.

[Kblaze8855]

We are talking 2 very valuable unprotected picks from a the Nets that tanked after trading everything for old players. The rest of the picks were trash.

OKC does not have valuable unprotected picks. 24 and 26 Clippers picks aren't worth much.

that’s not how they look at it. Picks are only protected for so long and at a certain level anyway. A team that already has everything it needs getting an extra seventh pick is a huge luxury. Almost every draft has stars or good players taken after number 10. Hell Shai was number 11 the year after Mitchell and Bam went 13-14. Year before Sabonis went 11th. Year before Myles Turner with Booker at 13. Year before you had CJ Mcculloum, Steven Adams, and Giannis all go from 10-15. Klay and Leonard were 11 and 15. Paul George 10. And on and on it goes.

teams want to stack picks to give themselves an extra opportunity to evaluate top guys and that doesn’t just mean one or two every year. You give yourself 13 to 15 shots at it you’re gonna come out with something even if you’re incompetent. It’s not about landing a bunch of sure top 3 picks. It’s about giving yourself enough swings that one or two have to land. The whole lottery usually has potential and you don’t have to hit on many to change history.

you never know how anything plays out or how long picks take to transfer and go unprotected. These things echo for decades. The last players taken with picks in the penny Hardaway Chris Webber draft day trade 30 years ago just retired in like 2021. An Otis Thorpe trade from the 90s is why Wade ended up on the Heat instead of in Memphis with Pau. It’s a vast web with unknown results. It’s chess it ain’t checkers.

[8Ball]

Then this answers it. They'll trade the bulk of them for some deep lottery picks. While off-loading their least favorite young guys. Like they did Bazley. Poku showed flashes but he will be gone too if he doesn't take a big step this year.

One thing about OKC with this is they can afford to not cling to hope and imaginary player development and end with MPJ or Ayton kind of fake-ass budding superstar contracts when in reality they're role players.

This is a franchise that told Harden take it or leave for an underpay and traded him for even thinking about not taking the contract.

Giddey, Dieng, and even Holmgren will be under real scrutiny with this level of competition within the roster, if they're lucky and trade/draft well.

I expect them to flip this roster around a ton the next 3 years.

Danny Ainge couldn't flip those picks for much, the ones he wanted to get rid of.

He traded the #4 nets pick which was his 3rd most valuable pick + IT to Cleveland for Kyrie and that didn't work out. No other GM gave him anything for all his other picks.

[8Ball]

that’s not how they look at it. Picks are only protected for so long and at a certain level anyway. A team that already has everything it needs getting an extra seventh pick is a huge luxury. Almost every draft has stars or good players taken after number 10. Hell Shai was number 11 the year after Mitchell and Bam went 13-14. Year before Sabonis went 11th. Year before Myles Turner with Booker at 13. Year before you had CJ Mcculloum, Steven Adams, and Giannis all go from 10-15. Klay and Leonard were 11 and 15. Paul George 10. And on and on it goes.

teams want to stack picks to give themselves an extra opportunity to evaluate top guys and that doesn’t just mean one or two every year. You give yourself 13 to 15 shots at it you’re gonna come out with something even if you’re incompetent. It’s not about landing a bunch of sure top 3 picks. It’s about giving yourself enough swings that one or two have to land. The whole lottery usually has potential and you don’t have to hit on many to change history.

you never know how anything plays out or how long picks take to transfer and go unprotected. These things echo for decades. The last players taken with picks in the penny Hardaway Chris Webber draft day trade 30 years ago just retired in like 2021. An Otis Thorpe trade from the 90s is why Wade ended up on the Heat instead of in Memphis with Pau. It’s a vast web with unknown results. It’s chess it ain’t checkers.

10-20 draft picks that turn into superstars are just throwing darts in the dark. For every good 10-20 player chosen, there's 29 other teams that whiffed. Everyone in the league coulda gotten Jokic with their 1st or 2nd pick. Nobody saw it. Denver even passed on Jokic in the 1st round before taking a flyer on him deep in the 2nd. 30 teams missed him in the 1st round, doesn't mean those 30 team front offices are completely clueless. Might point is nobody knows for sure.

The only thing that moves needles picks wise are top 4 picks and trading for unhappy superstars with your picks at cents on the dollar.

[Kblaze8855]

There is no arbitrary cut off for when picks matter. They’re all just lottery scratch offs. The top pick just has better odds. But there isn’t a team in the league that wouldnt love to have a bunch of fifth through 15th picks. Most of the time you will have your choice of an all-star, if not a Hall of Famer. From there, you just have to trust in the people you hire to make that choice.

[Xiao Yao You]

Then this answers it. They'll trade the bulk of them for some deep lottery picks. While off-loading their least favorite young guys. Like they did Bazley. Poku showed flashes but he will be gone too if he doesn't take a big step this year.

One thing about OKC with this is they can afford to not cling to hope and imaginary player development and end with MPJ or Ayton kind of fake-ass budding superstar contracts when in reality they're role players.

This is a franchise that told Harden take it or leave for an underpay and traded him for even thinking about not taking the contract.

Giddey, Dieng, and even Holmgren will be under real scrutiny with this level of competition within the roster, if they're lucky and trade/draft well.

I expect them to flip this roster around a ton the next 3 years.

it was rumored Shai was being shopped last off season. I certainly would have been after him more than Mitchell

[Xiao Yao You]

that’s not how they look at it. Picks are only protected for so long and at a certain level anyway. A team that already has everything it needs getting an extra seventh pick is a huge luxury. Almost every draft has stars or good players taken after number 10. Hell Shai was number 11 the year after Mitchell and Bam went 13-14. Year before Sabonis went 11th. Year before Myles Turner with Booker at 13. Year before you had CJ Mcculloum, Steven Adams, and Giannis all go from 10-15. Klay and Leonard were 11 and 15. Paul George 10. And on and on it goes.

teams want to stack picks to give themselves an extra opportunity to evaluate top guys and that doesn’t just mean one or two every year. You give yourself 13 to 15 shots at it you’re gonna come out with something even if you’re incompetent. It’s not about landing a bunch of sure top 3 picks. It’s about giving yourself enough swings that one or two have to land. The whole lottery usually has potential and you don’t have to hit on many to change history.

you never know how anything plays out or how long picks take to transfer and go unprotected. These things echo for decades. The last players taken with picks in the penny Hardaway Chris Webber draft day trade 30 years ago just retired in like 2021. An Otis Thorpe trade from the 90s is why Wade ended up on the Heat instead of in Memphis with Pau. It’s a vast web with unknown results. It’s chess it ain’t checkers.

you forgot the all NBA/DPOTY at 27

[Real Men Wear Green]

Trade for Embiid.
Same thing Boston did when trader Danny accumulated a "treasure trove" of picks. Most of the picks turned to crap.

A number of the picks didn't work out but you don't seem to realize that Tatum and Brown have led the Celtics to the conference Finals 4 times and will be a perennial finals favorite for the foreseeable future. The assets Ainge accumulated have led them to their current status.

[Full Court]

The funny thing is that there are posters on here who have no little understanding of basketball that they don't think OKC can end up 4th-6th seed.

[8Ball]

Trade for Embiid.

A number of the picks didn't work out but you don't seem to realize that Tatum and Brown have led the Celtics to the conference Finals 4 times and will be a perennial finals favorite for the foreseeable future. The assets Ainge accumulated have led them to their current status.

I wrote in this thread about this already.

The only valuable picks are unprotected picks that end up top 4. So unprotected from a garbage team.

The rest of the picks accumulated came out worthless.

[Real Men Wear Green]

I wrote in this thread about this already.

The only valuable picks are unprotected picks that end up top 4. So unprotected from a garbage team.

The rest of the picks accumulated came out worthless.

That just isn't true. Trading picks is how the Celtics have gotten Porzingis Holiday and White. The Celtics 6 best players are all the result of trading picks from other teams.

[8Ball]

What are the Thunder going to be able to get from these picks, I don't place much value below unless the Clippers go into tank mode which I don't see happening.

**2024**
- 1st Round, Rockets: Protected Top-4
- 1st Round, Jazz: Protected Top-10
- 1st Round, Thunder: Least favorable of Thunder's first-round picks goes to Pacers
- 1st Round, Clippers
- 2nd Round, Rockets


**2025**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 1st Round, Rockets/Clippers: Swaps
- 1st Round, Heat: Protected Top-14
- 1st Round, Sixers: Protected Top-6
- 2nd Round, Hawks: Protected Top-40
- 2nd Round, Celtics/Grizzlies: More favorable
- 2nd Round, Sixers


**2026**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 1st Round, Rockets: Protected Top-4
- 1st Round, Clippers
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Mavericks/Sixers: Least favorable
- 2nd Round, Warriors


**2027**
- 1st Round, Nuggets: Protected Top-5
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Minnesota


**2028**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Jazz
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Milwaukee


**2029**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 1st Round, Nuggets: Protected Top-5
- 2nd Round, Hawks
- 2nd Round, Suns
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Rockets
- 2nd Round, Heat
- 2nd Round, Celtics


**2030**
- 1st Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Thunder
- 2nd Round, Heat
- 2nd Round, Rockets

[FultzNationRISE]

Honestly, if the Lakers dont look like a legit championship team by the deadline, they need to rebuild and just trade Lebron to OKC for a few of those picks.

Ofc playing on a team that young would be a crazy ridiculous challenge for Lebron and literally the hardest road possible. But as a diehard Laker fan I think that option has to be considered in play.

[Xiao Yao You]

Honestly, if the Lakers dont look like a legit championship team by the deadline, they need to rebuild and just trade Lebron to OKC for a few of those picks.

Ofc playing on a team that young would be a crazy ridiculous challenge for Lebron and literally the hardest road possible. But as a diehard Laker fan I think that option has to be considered in play.

Can't imagine Presti has any desire for a broken down old man

[FultzNationRISE]

Can't imagine Presti has any desire for a broken down old man

Put a eye on yo lip n¡gga, WATCH YO MOUF

[iamgine]

SGA is already a superstar. Get another star and they're set for contending.

For example, they could try to get Mikal Bridges for Lu Dort plus a bunch of picks.

[Gruppenführer]

They have no other choice but to trade them for superstars or better players. You can't fill a roster with rookies.

[Druckenmiller]

Trade all the pics to Dallas for Luka

[Street Hunger]

They'll probably package and trade the picks up

[Cowboy Thunder]

I think it's most likely that they keep trading back and look to maximize several team builds/peaks. If you count the KD/Westbrook/Harden era, OKC could easily go on a sustained run for 20-30 years of playoff basketball.

[Street Hunger]

They should be able to trade into the lottery several times

[Kblaze8855]

Looks like they Also have $35-$40 million in cap space.

With that much space they could throw in a role-player and pretty much trade for anyone in the entire league couldn’t they?

Who can they get for five picks when they don’t have to concern themselves with salary at all?

they could get Brandon Ingram and make him a sixth man tomorrow.

[Kblaze8855]

Are there even 10 players the Thunder couldn’t get if they really wanted them?

5 picks and easily matching salary. Maybe throw in one of the young good players.

They cant get Jokic, Luka, Ant, Giannis, or Wemby. Not too many more though. Not Tatum. I think they could get Ja Morant. Hali? Embiid maybe not yet. It’s almost time for Steph but out of respect…no. But I’m not sure there are 10 they just can’t possibly have.

Would the Heat trade Bam? They don’t really do rebuilding so many not. But they would listen I bet.

What do the Lakers say to 5 first rounders and a non SGA, Jalen, or Chet player of their liking for AD when Bron is leaving anyway and they’re rebuilding soon like it or not?

[tontoz]

They need size/rebounding but they like playing 5 out on offense to give SGA room to operate in the lane. Not sure who the ideal fit would be.

Curious to see what they do in the draft.

[Real Men Wear Green]

If they draft Bronny they could be trading for James. But if they have a sense of shame and don't want to get in the way of the Lakers pending clown show dumpster fire call up the Knicks and see how many picks need to be added to Giddey to steal Josh Hart...err, I mean, Giddey has great play-making ability so he could carry the offense when Brunson needs a breather...or something.

Do not bring back 34 or 35 year old Paul George.

I don't believe in Tyler Herro but he would give them a shooter and someone else that can make plays (at the expense of their defense).

Young and Murray are both likely available.

Ingram could be a fine third option.

[Real Men Wear Green]

They need size/rebounding but they like playing 5 out on offense to give SGA room to operate in the lane. Not sure who the ideal fit would be.

Curious to see what they do in the draft.
If Riley is ready to blow it up Bam would make them awesome.

[Xiao Yao You]

They need size/rebounding but they like playing 5 out on offense to give SGA room to operate in the lane. Not sure who the ideal fit would be.

Curious to see what they do in the draft.
Collins fits

[BarberSchool]

Sam Presti is the clear cut best in the league at what he does.

Also … OKC isn’t the same level of lame undesirable location it was just 5 years ago.
Lotta Cali expats have made OKC a lot more tolerable in many ways, culinarily, weed-wise, live venues, etc.

Nobody can fix Towns, not even Towns.
And PG is getting old fast.
But they are def gonna snag more than one additional big, to both platoon with Chet, and help Chet develop.

And the options for doing that and getting another wing who can create for themselves and others is staring everyone right in the face with that impressive list Kblaze posted.

OKC fanbase should feel much better about the near future of this team, than they ever did during that Westbrick era.

[Im Still Ballin]

I know who I think OKC should draft. Hell, Chip could work his magic and make him into a good three-point shooter. Brook Lopez v2! :D

[Kblaze8855]

I imagine theyre past worrying about drafting prospects. When you have a contending team with three more young guys to pay in the future and near Max contract cap space along with enough picks to equal any trade haul in history? You go all in. You don’t keep building for later. If they keep hitting on picks, they would eventually lose them anyway. They have three players who will probably get some form of Max already. Better to get a great vet or two to fill holes and try to win before everyone else needs to be paid.

[tontoz]

I imagine theyre past worrying about drafting prospects. When you have a contending team with three more young guys to pay in the future and near Max contract cap space along with enough picks to equal any trade haul in history? You go all in. You don’t keep building for later. If they keep hitting on picks, they would eventually lose them anyway. They have three players who will probably get some form of Max already. Better to get a great vet or two to fill holes and try to win before everyone else needs to be paid.


Going all in hasn't been Presti's mo. They did nothing at the deadline even though they obviously needed size and Giddey was pretty useless.

A guy on his rookie deal is cheap which is a big issue for OKC. I think the more likely move is using their picks to move up and get someone they really want. I don't see anyone at the top of this draft that really fits so they might just stay at 12.

I didn't watch Duke at all but I wonder if Filipowski might be an option. He has good size and tested well at the combine. If they believe in him as a 3 point shooter they might pick him.

[Im Still Ballin]

Filipowski's anthro measures were disappointing. 6'10.75" barefoot height, 8'11" standing reach, and a 6'10.5" wingspan. Kelly Olynyk 2.0 looks like. I'm not sure if he brings enough physicality, rebounding, and paint/rim protection. The three-point shooting should translate but we'll have to wait and see.

[tontoz]

Filipowski's anthro measures were disappointing. 6'10.75" barefoot height, 8'11" standing reach, and a 6'10.5" wingspan. Kelly Olynyk 2.0 looks like. I'm not sure if he brings enough physicality, rebounding, and paint/rim protection. The three-point shooting should translate but we'll have to wait and see.


Filipowski has pretty good speed for a big guy. Apparently he did a good job on D when he got switched on smaller players.

I am hoping the wizards can get Daron Holmes at 26. He would be a good fit in OKC.

[FultzNationRISE]

Feels counterintuitive to play Bam and Chet together but I guess theres no real reason why you couldnt.

Siakam also feels like a good fit as a more typical modern 4 to play next to Chet.

[Kblaze8855]

Be a pretty ridiculous defensive lineup And an addition who can score 20, but only begrudgingly. Perfect guy for a stacked lineup. The perfect defender for the switch everything era as well.

With Bam, Dort, and Chet you could play no defense elsewhere and still prosper.

[tontoz]

You can certainly make the case that Miami should blow it up and start over. I have a hard time seeing Riley do it though. I can't remember him ever doing that.